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In the preschool years, children learn much from repetition. They will return again and again to a favorite toy, book, or puzzle or a favorite set of materials, such as blocks.

Each time children play with these familiar objects, they learn something new about them.
That information was always there to be learned, but the child who returns to the familiar toy is not the same child who played with it a month ago.
Now he brings to his play everything that he has experienced and learned since the last time he handled the toy or material.
Because of this added experience, he is now ready to learn more from his present play than he could have learned a month ago.
The toy, puzzle, book or set of blocks is the same—but as the child brings more to the activity, he learns more from it.

No matter how much you love your child, there will be times when her behavior will exasperate you.
Try to remember that she will never be this age again and that this, too, will pass.
Let her know how you feel when what she does upsets you. But try to keep your sense of humor and perspective.
Be patient with her attempts to do things for herself. She may not do them well at first, but she’ll learn with practice.
Like every other skill, responsibility for oneself takes practice and lots of room for mistakes before it’s mastered.

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Here’s a fun activity that combines snacks with information.
You’ll need a box of animal crackers, some graham crackers, honey, cream cheese (at room temperature), and milk.
Mix a little honey with the cream cheese, use the milk to thin the mixture
a bit.
The kids can put a bit of the cream cheese mixture on a graham cracker, then select an animal cracker to stand upright on the graham cracker.

Take turns talking about each animal and answering these questions:
What is it?
What does it like to eat?
Where does it live?
Where does it sleep?
What sounds does it make?
How big (or little) is it?
Have you ever seen a real (live) one?
Would you want one for a pet?
Why or why not?

Music is more than just fun: it is education.
As a youngster sings along, dances or “plays” an instrument, here are the sorts of things she learns:

1. New vocabulary. Many songs, particularly folk songs and nursery tunes, repeat words or refrains over and over again.
For example, think of the words for “Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush.”
This type of repetition strengthens associations between new words and their meanings.
2. Time sense. When swinging the arms, moving the body, or tapping an “instrument” to music, the child is exposed to time relations between musical notes.
She becomes aware of order—this comes first, this comes next, and this comes last.
This is demonstrated by what happens to a sentence when just one word is put into a different order:
“Now, I want to go.”
“I want to go now.”
3. Counting. While children first learn to count by rote, they will learn to count from such rhymes
4. Self-control. It is necessary to really listen and attend to what a song says in order to carry out the actions.
When the words are said to “clap”, “jump”, or “stop”, she must translate what she has heard into a physical movement and clap, jump or stop.

We urge you to make music a family affair. Before the days of television, families created their own entertainment, and singing together was very popular.
Develop your own songbook for current rhythms, folk-rock, and old times. And don’t forget to teach your children the songs you love from your own childhood.

Here’s a game that’s easy to put together:
First, collect a variety of objects around the house that are either hard or soft.
Examples: Hard—block, book, toy truck, comb, bar of soap, table, telephone.
Soft—tissue, cotton ball, eraser, scarf, sock, pillow, towel.
First have the players divide the objects into two piles by identifying each one as hard or soft.
Next, to make the task more difficult, put the objects into a bag or box and identify them by feeling only, without looking, and saying whether they’re hard or soft.
Finally, the players can locate and identify a new set of objects to play another round.
The game can be made easier or harder, depending on the objects you choose and the age of the players.

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